Our Big News!!!!

Just kidding.  We have no big news, I just felt like jumping on the bandwagon of several members of my family lately!  I did feel like I could share more about what has been going on (mostly just with me, not Pat!).  

 Today I legitimately began my new job.  Again?  Yes, again.  If you know me at all, you know how "well-rounded" I am.  Well, it is in this spirit of a new adventure, I began my job at a chemical manufacturing plant.  Sound familiar?  Yes, this is where my husband works as a manager.  And yes, this was instrumental in my finding and getting of the job.  We discussed many of the possible difficulties that this situation may incite, but since I quit my retail job a bit too soon, and it seems there are not throngs of greenhouses hiring in July or August, my options are limited, as are our funds!!

 I am taking the job of the illustrious labeler. I take bottles of all shapes and sizes, as well as 5-gallon buckets, and simply put the correct label or labels on it.  It is a breath of fresh air.  I find myself truly enjoying the mundane tasks of peeling the label off the machine which automatically holds the partially peeled label out for me, and affixing it to the bottle, as straight and smooth as possible, and as quickly as I can.  Did I mention I get to do this job all by myself, for the most part?!  I have little to no interruptions, I don't have to make small talk over and over again, and I get to mark off my to-do list!

 I realize how odd it must sound for me to be so excited about such an entry-level, blue-collar, J.O.B.  After working in a chaotic retail environment (even though I liked what I sold), it is just so refreshing to have such a quiet work space.

 You knew I was an introvert, right?  I love people, but it's just best when I have more control over when they can drain interact with me.  Labels just don't seem to need much from me.  It's kind-of nice.

 Now, don't get the idea that this will be a permanent position.  I have been clear that my intentions are to search out other greener (literally) pastures and find work at a greenhouse next year.  I have an idea of where I want to work, and I hope it will be a mutually beneficial situation.  We shall see.

For now, however, I will be content in my quiet little job, in my little corner of the warehouse where I can play my jazz music and quietly race the boys who are filling the containers that I prepare!

I don't want to give the impression that I am completely turned off by people right now, because that just is not the case.  I have had a delightful time investing my time with others.  I think I usually end up the primary beneficiary in these visits.  I spent about 2 1/2 hours one day with my neighbor across the street, Mrs. Bales.  She is the sweetest little gal I have known in a long time.  She's not afraid to tell you that she is 86 years old!  The first time I saw her, we were both outside, working in our yards, and she had on a magnificent straw garden hat!  I fell instantly in love with her.  I knew we would be great friends.  We are getting there!  We had lunch last week at Braums where they know her by name and start her order when they see her drive up.  I felt honored to be her guest.  I drove her (in her car of course) to Lowes and helped her buy a plumbing piece she needed, which due to the fact that she is not 5' tall, she would have never seen, I was again happy to be able to do something for her.  Did I mention she wouldn't let me pay for lunch?!  She is so special.  I will ask her soon if I can take a picture of us together.  She told me that she was "bashful" so I don't know if she will let me!

 I was also able to visit my grandparents last week with my sister-in-law and her children.  It was such a great visit!  I had been sorely neglectful of visiting, as I had not seen them since Christmas.  They are a whopping 45 minutes or maybe an hour away.  I definitely do not win the grandchild-of-the-year award.  I do find them to be very interesting people, and I regret not taking time to get to know them more.  I plan on doing what I can to connect with them now.  I learn so much from each opportunity.  For example, I did not know that my grandparents really love Chinese food!!

 I often take my dog for a walk in our neighborhood park, a block or so away.  We walk on the leash to the park, and then, depending on the level of abandonment there, we do away with the leash!  Oh freedom!  I find it fascinating that when Rowdy is on his leash, he struggles with the limit I have imposed, but when he has his freedom, he stays relatively close to me and the sidewalk.  Anyway, with all the rain we have had this summer, the mushrooms are in vast abundance.  I find them to be quite lovely.  Perhaps that is because of my Smurfy upbringing!

Finally, I also go to a Senior Living Facility where I read to several bed-bound ladies.  I am beginning to grow quite attached to them as well!  I read to Pauline who told me the other day that she was passing a baby, and to Margie who cannot speak but can communicate when you look into her eyes, and to Patty with whom I read the newspaper!  I bought a mystery/thriller to begin a book-club with Peggy.  I think she can read on her own, but wanted to get involved, and I just can't say no!  I stop and visit with several of the other ladies and gentlemen I see.  I leave every time with a feeling of gratitude.  What an opportunity I have to share in the sweet moments of these wonderful people.

Ridin' Around in my Automobile...

 I know, I'm super way behind in blogging.  That's what happens when the only internet you have is graciously stolen from neighbors.  (Thank you, Jesus for allowing some people to have unlocked access.  Please bless them in some way that repays them for their kindness.)

 As you can see, we did have some success in getting our vehicle to run!  It was an exciting day!  We couldn't wait to put the bed on it before we took it out for a spin.  It looks pretty simple, but don't let that fool you.  Simple does not usually equal easy.

 We had so much fun driving it around!  We caught the attention of a local landscaping company that just happened to be located across the street from us.  He asked what we were building and we after we shared the story, he offered to let us test our rig on his property!  That was a huge blessing!  It was so much easier to drive it across the street, run our tests and bring it back to the shop for adjustments.

 Yes, I did take a little spin after the bed was put on.  I thought, mistakenly, that with the extra weight of the lumber it would ride a bit more smooth.  Not enough weight to soften 3500 lb trailer springs.

 We tested the vehicle on Dutch Meadows Landscaping's property out back where they had this giant hill!  It felt really big.  We knew it was huge.  We took bets on the degree of angle.  Pat went out with his range finder and discovered that it wasn't quite as steep as we thought.  We weren't too disappointed, as this was pretty representative of what we expect to find in Ghana.  Oh, I meant the hill, not the cargo below!

 The testing of the vehicle comprised of a series of runs up the now-less-steep hill with increasing amounts of 55 gallon drums filled with water and variously placed cinder blocks.  For example, the first run was empty, the second had 1 water filled 55gal. drum.  The ultimate test was to load the bed with 2000 lbs.

 After a few days of testing and adjusting, switching and tightening, we felt that we found a successful set up that was cost-effective!  We took a full ton of water and cinder blocks up a steep grassy slope with a 10 horsepower engine!

So, our next step is to obtain, fill, and ship a 40' shipping container with the contents of our shop to Ghana.  No biggie.  One more super-steep mountain that will hopefully be revealed as a much less steep hill.  We are praying God will orchestrate the perfect logistical coordinator for us!
 I'll try to do a little better on here.  No promises, though!

The Team!

I have stolen (yes, stolen) these pictures and plan to post them as such.  I just couldn't help it.  I totally dropped the ball and rarely picked up my camera while the Vytrak team met, so I have stooped low to share the amazing people with which we will be travelling to Africa! 

 The adults in the back are: Ryan & Josi, Don & Erin (Leaders Extraordinaire), Me & Pat, Kim & Adam!  The kiddo's are L (the artist), J (shy and sweet), K (the fish-slayer), A (the bookworm - like me!), T (singing boy), & C (the cuddler); ages 4-9!  As you can see, we are really serious about letting everyone know who we really are.  All business here, folks.

Remember those castle ruins?  We took some group photo's here as well.  I guess Pat and I are the "hat people."  This was a fun time of sightseeing and watching the guys rationalize their entry into the fenced off areas to retrieve a certain football that may not have made it through the entire ruin.  You know, regular monument watching activities.  It was a lovely day!

Recent Goings On

Most of you know by now that we have plans to go to Ghana, Africa next year.  These plans are going forward and from what I can tell, are going well.  We were able to go out this last weekend for a long weekend of team meeting and greeting out at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.  It was a great time of getting to know one another and get updated on the latest progress.

Pat had met most of the team, but until now I had not.  Would they like me?  Yep, I'm a little insecure.  I also wondered how well they had gotten to know Pat!  We made sure to show our true selves, made even easier by the fact that we had a serious hit of allergies.  We just didn't feel the energy to fake anything, not that we do that sort of thing anyway! So they all got to see our snorting, nose-blowing, sneezy selves.  I know they were thrilled.

Fortunately, we stayed in a beautiful place made possible by some friends of Don, our fearless leader.  Because I was horrible with taking pictures, I have very few, and even less of actual people.  Someday I will steal respectfully ask to borrow and repost pictures that others took!  Then you can see who we are.  I am the only one with wild hair.  All the other women have this beautiful smooth hair.  I expect I'll live.  Digression...back to all seriousness.

Pat was able to show his exceptional outdoor skills by arranging a scavenger hunt/race for the kids one of the days, which included the use of our two canoes!  He was also the king of fishing, setting up pole fishing for bluegill off the docks.

  Eventually, he was able to teach the 3 older girls how to use grown-up fishing rods and reels to fish for large mouth bass, white bass, and even a blue catfish!  Those girls weren't afraid to bait with worms or "pet" their catches, which of course were all christened before returning to their watery homes.  In case you were worried, we did keep one day's catch and fried it up to reward all the new anglers.  Fun was had by all, and thankfully, no hooks ended up in fingers, toes or any other body part.

Our next step in this journey is to spend some time in Pella, Iowa to manufacture two prototypes of the vehicle we will be manufacturing in Africa.  Once this is complete, our fearless leader and his family will blaze the trail for the rest of us in Ghana where we will meet them in January to build two more in country.  We will then return to the U.S. and complete more of the business side of things before we return to Africa, hopefully in March(ish).  That's the nutshell!  Again, if you are interested in Vytrak or have more questions for us, please give us a call/email/skype/whatever!  We, and especially our team, will love to have your prayers as we go forward.

So, since that was informational but less photographic, I'll finish with a few pictures of a walk we took to see some ruins of an estate that was built in the early 1900's, and burned in the '40's.  It was a beautiful day and had some gorgeous views!

 The ruins of the "castle" were captivating.  In the midst of the awe, it seemed sad to me that so much effort was put into something to serve himself and now literally lays in ruins.  It made me really think about what I put my efforts and resources toward and what others will see when I am gone.

 It was a beautiful place and I am thankful for the people who let us stay in their condo's.  It was a real retreat for all of us, and a perfect place for us to connect with the people who will be our closest connections for a while - snot and all!

It's Real!

It's real!

We've even bought storage totes to begin our packing process.  I must say, I am excited!  Moving is always bitter-sweet for me as I go through all my collected items that bring up all the associated memories.  It will honestly be difficult to leave such a beautiful place where we have met such great friends.  I have a sneaky suspicion we will be back again someday!

 Rowdy doesn't seem to notice, much less care, about all the new flutter of activity!  I think we'll have to pry him away from his favorite chair, though.

 As proof of our intentions, we (as in Pat) have begun to build the enclosure for our moving trailer!   It is coming together rather well.  I'm in a continued state of awe that this is real after 2 1/2 years of waiting!  We had no idea of what we would be doing at that time!

It's coming along quickly, so I'll keep the updates coming!  We are so thankful for all the blessings of things coming together.  The sale of the house, and of other things, have felt very much like confirmation of our path. Yeah!

My Runway

Seriously.
FRC is the new black.
And in case you don't believe how ravishing of a look this is, I was approached just today and told I looked very beautiful and asked if I was married!  So you see, for all you single friends of mine, I would be more than happy to help you don your wardrobe like mine.  The hardhat really sets it off, and one can be creative with the stickers that are applied to make it individual.  I cannot, however, help you out with the Turnaround card to wear on your lanyard, but I'm sure we could come up with another option.

California Furnace... seriously

 Just over a month ago, I left this (above) to go to this (below):

 I have taken a job as an Assistant Radiographer and was assigned to a Tesoro Turnaround in Concord California.  To state it simply, I use a source of radiation to take "X-Rays" of welds in various locations, as well as testing pipe/metal with magnetic energy, liquid sprays, and ultrasound equipment.  It sounds pretty complicated and, honestly, some of it is but most is pretty simple.  These tests are to see if there are any cracks or other problems in welds or the base metals, typically in oilfield related locations like refineries.  This technology is also utilized in aerospace and other construction.  A Turnaround is a scheduled shutdown of a refinery, or units in a refinery, for maintenance or construction.  Hope all that helps explain what I was doing!
This industry seems to move at a moment's notice.  I got a call and 22 hours or so later I was on a plane.  To say it was rushed would be an understatement.  I tried to plan ahead for warmer weather, but I still had to buy another T-shirt!  It was also thought that I would be gone from 3-4 weeks.  (Well, you know how that went!)  Anyway, after doing a fair amount of orientations and a bunch of badges, we had a day off, so I went out for a walk along one of the trails through town.  It was really beautiful!

 I'd like to say that my fluorescent skin is just a bad picture, but...!  I laid around this park for about an hour after walking 4 miles to get there.  I literally laid in the grass and soaked in the sunshine!

 All these blooms felt completely alien to me.  Refer to the first picture for my previous frame of reference!  Lavender was blooming, geraniums were showing off their pinks and reds, and Pear trees were in full bloom.  It was just crazy!  I don't even know what this tree below is!  It was huge and beautiful!

 My new home was comfortable enough, though I had to buy a microwave and toaster to make it work.  The maid service was extremely sporadic, and I even had to call down for toilet paper at one point.  That was disappointing.  It made it even more pressing to get back home!
 Below is the small airport behind my hotel.  It made me think of Pat!

 I'm wearing the ever-fashionable Fire-Retardant coveralls in dark blue, accessorized with an H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide) monitor on the lapel and the classic leather belt holding a pouch of radiation Personal Protective Equipment including a dosimeter, Rate Alarm, Radiation Badge, and paint pen!  It's sure to disfigure any size person!  Don't forget the ever-glamorous accessory to the accessory: side shields for the glasses!

 My welding beanie fooled many into thinking I was much more knowledgeable and experienced.  Oh, and they thought I was a welder.  I truly loved wearing the lovely non-breathable blue Tyvek suit (below), especially in the giant furnace (approximately 3X the size of our house) where it was warm and I had to wear a fall arrest system and half-face respirator to climb the 6 stories of scaffolding.  My favorite!  After about a week I was working the night shift, so the fabulous sunshine was down to a minimum, but it was probably best since I could handle the "cold" so much better!  It only got down into the low 40's most nights, so it was rare for me to wear a jacket.  Oh, since I was in the furnace, it didn't really matter anyway.

So all the while I got to have so much fun in furnaces, Pat was working hard here in Alaska!  Here he is doing a "brother-in-law" weld.  He was burning the candle on both ends trying to take care of all the house stuff as well as take care of his own 12 hour shifts in the -25 degree weather.

After all this exciting adventure, I have taken a transfer of sorts into a part-time position where I will continue to assist the certified technicians but only locally and probably much less often!  It will be a much better fit for us, as I have discovered that being home is much more valuable than I had realized!